Category Archives: Tutorials

This sweater has been on my refashion ‘to do’ list for a while now. I used to wear it regularly but after a comment from OH that it was a bit ‘mumsy’, I decided it could do with a redesign.

The colour is versatile enough for summer and I picked out a set of Vintage-Patch iron on oval elbow patches and matching trim strips in our new Green Tea Rose design.

This refashion is a little more complicated than I’ve previously demonstrated on this blog, and I was really pleased that the Fabric Trim Strips worked so easily, and they've now been added to our range. To buy the trim strips, just click on the patch design you like, and the trims can be chosen from the dropdown options list there if available in that design.

Here’s how the refashion worked:

Mark the midline of the sweater at the bottom

…and the top

Position trim strip carefully down the centre front of the sweater, allowing a little overlap at the v neck

A close up of the overlap. You’ll trim this later.

Peel backing off the trim strip. You can leave a little bit of the backing on at the top overlap area to avoid this sticking where it shouldn’t.

Iron the trim strip down the centre of the sweater, with a medium hot iron, pressing for 20 – 60 seconds to get a good fix. You may need a press cloth to protect the wool, in which case you should press for longer and increase iron temp to compensate. (Full instructions for Vintage-Patch products are included in each pack).

I applied a second trim strip on the inside of the sweater, which probably isn’t necessary but gives a nice tidy finish. Bear in mind if you do this, the front opening may be a bit stiffer than the rest of the garment.

Trim the neckline overlap carefully and iron this area again to make sure there are no loose ends.

Find the centre of the trim strip and and either mark and cut with scissors, or use a rotary cutter and straight edge, but see note below!

Using the rotary cutter gives a lovely clean edge, but you MUST use a cutting mat inside the garment to ensure you don’t cut straight through the sweater!

Voila – you now have a cardigan.

As I wanted a slightly smaller elbow patch on this cardigan, I simply cut about 1/3 off each oval patch and used it side on instead of lengthways. A circular patch would also have looked nice and is one of the shape options we offer in the dropdown list of each patch design page.

Try the cardigan on to establish where you need the patch, and mark with a pin. Then place the patch in position, with the straight edge alongside the line of the seam. Iron into postion.

A bit of detail:

I was left with two smaller curved pieces of patch, and as necessity is the mother of invention, I decided to use them to cover a couple small holes in the sweater, which I think gives quite a quirky look to the finished item.

The adhesive used for both patches and trims is our new ‘no sew’ type, but as the garment is stretchy, and the front fastening area will have a lot of handling, I top stitched all the trims and patches for a longer lasting and more attractive result. Personally, much as l love the idea of 'no sew', in this case, stitching definitely enhances the overall appearance.

I also added a couple of contrasting fabric covered buttons, for decoration rather than fastening on this occasion. I could also have made buttonholes down the trim strip. By the way, we have recently introduced fabric covered buttons to match our elbow patches in the shop. Check the dropdown list of the patch design you like for availability.

The finished product from front:

and the back

I’d love your feedback on this refashion. Why not leave me a comment, and maybe even send me a link to your own refashion projects.

1. Ensure your patch is large enough. If the hole or tear is untidy, now is the time to cut a more uniform aperture if you want to.

2. It's essential to have plenty of margin around the hole you need to repair so there is adequate room for glue coverage. Patch kits come in two sizes, 10 x 10cm and 15 x 15cm..
3. Place glue sheet underneath fabric, shiny (glue) side down. Ideally keep the straight edges of the paper running in the same direction as the grain of the fabric
4. Carefully mark the edges of the hole on the glue paper with a pencil. Now is a good time to also mark the direction of the fabric grain on the paper with an arrow which will help placement of the patch later.
5. Cut about 2mm outside the edge of the pencil marks so the paper hole is very slightly larger than the one in your garment.
6. Place glue paper on top of the right side of the fabric patch. Make sure the arrow you've marked is running in the same direction as the fabric grain. Iron paper
7. Iron glue paper onto fabric patch with a medium hot iron for 5 – 20 seconds. Allow to cool briefly.
8. Peel off adhesive backing paper
9. You should clearly see the layer of glue coverage once you've peeled the backing paper away.
10. Place fabric patch behind hole in the garment. Make very sure that the patch is placed so that there is no glue showing around the edges of the aperature (as in the picture below) as this could stick to the hot iron and make a mess.
11. The placement of the patch in the picture below is correct.
12. With a medium to hot (not max temp) iron, press over the hole briefly for initial fix, then cover area with a thin, slightly damp cloth (a muslin or thin tea towel works well) and press for 20 – 60 seconds from both sides of the repair until garment and fabric has dried and a good fix has been achieved.
13. Pay attention to the edges of the patch, but avoid lifting them to check for fix until fabric has cooled.
14. The finished repair. Providing your Reverse Patch has been applied correctly, the glue used for it should give a good fix for items washable at 40 degrees without further sewing, but for a better finished appearance, we always recommend sewing around your repair by hand or machine.
Running stitch using contrast embroidery floss.
Why not try a chain stitch or other decorative embellishment.

Pocket T shirts are popular at the moment, but most times the pockets don't need to be useable. Here's a quick and easy way to add a faux pocket to update a plain T shirt using two Vintage-Patch rectangle elbow / knee patches. You need one patch if you want the pocket in a single colour, or two different design patches if you prefer contrasting as we have here. We've used child size rectangle patches, but you could use the adult size for a larger pocket.

All Vintage-Patch Elbow and Knee patches in the store can be purchased as rectangles, even if shown as other shapes – just click on the rectangle option in the drop down list.

Vintage-Patch patches are easy to apply, and each pack includes a test sample for a trial run.

1. Ensure the garment you wish to apply patches to can be ironed at medium to maxium iron temperature.

2. Decide on positioning. For elbow or knee patches, it’s a good idea to put the garment on, bend your arm or leg and mark your elbow or knee position on the garment with a pin.

3. Once you’ve placed the patch in a position you are happy with, match up with the other sleeve or leg carefully so patches are equally positioned.

4. Mark position with pins (or chalk, sparingly!).

5. then peel off backing paper and lay patch, coated side down in the required position.

6. For lightweight cotton patches heat iron to medium/maximum (depending on your garment), then press and hold iron for 6 – 10 seconds on each section (or until entire piece is well bonded), paying attention to the edges.

Although with lightweight fabrics you can iron straight on top of the fabric, we always recommend using a damp ironing cloth (a thin tea towel works well) over the patch as it gives a more reliable bond. IMPORTANT. The use of a damp cloth for thicker fabrics such as our denim or corduroy patches is essential. For these, heat your iron to maximum and iron patches on using the damp cloth and pressing for 6 – 30 seconds over all parts of the patch from the top, and then for an additional 6 – 30 seconds from the back of the project (or until the patch is well bonded). The steam from the ironing cloth helps the adhesive to set. Leave to dry, then check to ensure a firm bond has been achieved and stitch around patches for a permanent fix.

7. Lay the fused parts flat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

8. After 2 – 3 washes, the adhesive bond may begin to weaken on some fabrics, so we strongly recommend further securing the patch by stitching around the edges. This can be done by machine using a zig zag setting, or hand stitching – a simple running stitch in matching or contrast thread is quick and easy. Alternatively hand sew using a blanket stitch for a traditional finish, which maintains a cleaner edge on patches made from fray-prone fabrics like denim or corduroy.

9. Vintage-Patch fabrics are prewashed for colourfastness, but we do recommend that if strongly coloured patches are applied to light coloured garments, you add a ‘colour catcher’ cloth to the first couple of washes. Our fabrics are suitable for machine or hand washing at 40 degrees.

During the coming weeks we will be expanding our range of multi size and shape patches suitable for customising / personalising t shirts, sweaters, skirts, bags and much more. Great as an unusual gift idea or a party activity pack for all ages. Check out our brand new website at www.vintage-patch.co.uk for new designs added weekly and FREE p&p on orders over £10!

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